It was a maybe 40 degrees with a stiff wind. Not too bad for Colorado standards, but still a challenge standing around in shorts and short sleeves waiting for the race to start. Then with about 2 minutes to go, someone announced there would be a 15 minute delay because one of the shuttle buses was late. Roll with it. Use the port-a-potty again and keep warm.
At last the start was seconds away. I positioned myself up at the front, removed my jacket, and readied my watch. Smooth and confident! That was my mantra for the day.
The race started off with a loop around a dirt high school track. I quickly found myself in the lead pack of three as we moved from the track to the paved roads of Mayer. I’ve never lead a race, and even though this was the second wave, it felt like what I imagine leading a race feels like. As the leader, you’re dictating the pace, you’re following the course markings, and you have someone on a bike following you with a camera. I even learned later we had a 10 minutes of drone coverage on us!
As the course turned into dirt roads, the lead pack became two. We chatted a little about past races and how we hoped to hunt down some runners from the first wave.
I took a rare glance at my watch. I like to check my watch once or twice in the beginning of a race just to make sure my heart rate and pace are in good spots.
Soon we get to the first single-track section and wow is it fun! Smooth and flowy with gently rolls that remind you why you love running. I happily drop in behind Ivan and become a follower. It’s a nice mental reprive to let another runner dictate the pace and find the line.
About 3-4 miles in, we start encountering the back of the first wave. From here on, passing other runners would be common.
At the first aid station, Antelope Mesa, I decided to fill one bottle and keep pushing. At Hidden Treasure I filled both bottles and stopped to pee. Initially I thought maybe I was taking too much time at this aid station, but I eventually caught back up with the wave 2 leader and settled in.
I was feeling great heading into Bumble Bee Ranch at mile 19, picking up speed on the fire road descent. I wasted no time, quickly filling two bottles and flying through the bar.
Then shortly after I exited Bumble Bee I hit the first long climb of the race. It was probably about a mile and not too steep, but it was a dramatic shift in gears from a mostly downhill course up to this point. I felt strong heading up this hill, maintaining a steady, but comfortable grind. A photographer even remarked, “You look like you enjoy climbing!”
The trail soon leveled out and became more flat to rolly, but I started to feel that climb in my legs. It looked like climb was more damaging to my competitors as I had taken sole possession of the wave 2 lead. Now it was time to chase down more wave 1 runners.
I went through the final aid station, Gloriana Mine, filling 2 bottles and splashing some water on myself. It was still 8 miles to the finish, but I still felt pretty good at this point.
As I went along, my mentally slowly shifted from chasing to holding on. I got to the next big climb and realized my legs weren’t up to the challenge. I started hike/jogging the steeper parts and focused on sticking with the runner ahead of me. At times I thought I could go faster, but I didn’t feel like I had the juice to make a pass, so I settled in. I started to notice some thirst at this point. Perhaps I could’ve done more cooling and drinking, but I felt fairly confident I could manage things for the short remainder of the race. I popped the last half of a caffeine gel I had started a few miles back and got to work.
I was doing a fine job of keeping up until a small misstep took me down. Nothing serious, just a momentary lapse where I had to catch myself with my hands, but enough to put some distance between myself and the next runner.
It was just me now. My focus shifted to just getting to the finish line. I looked at my watch and knew I couldn’t be more than a mile or so out. I started picking it up, realizing I had to be getting close to the final descent. And then out nowhere, the finish line appeared in the distance and the trail started flowing downhill. I ratcheted it up to a 6min/mile pace and floored it to the finish.
I was the first finisher in the second wave. The 35th male and the 3rd male master. 35th may not seem like much but there were probably 20 or so elites at the front and 530 total starters. I also snagged a 50k PR by 23 minutes!
I felt super about this race. Not only were the course and scenery stunning, but the result was beyond my expectations. I truly felt like if I had started in wave one, I could’ve finished in the top 30. I felt like I had found my place in the world of ultra-running and I actually belonged.